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Kingdom of Heaven: Special Edition (2 Discs) (UK - DVD R2)

It should have been the big-budget, over the top film to open the summer season, perhaps even Ridley Scott’s next masterpiec...

It should have been the big-budget, over the top film to open the summer season, perhaps even Ridley Scott’s next masterpiece, but sadly, and not unlike the empires the film depicts, Kingdom of Heaven falls faster than a row of carefully aligned dominos. If you, like myself, were expecting this film to be the next Gladiator (for lack of a better analogy), then you will probably be sorely disappointed with what Scott has conjured here. In fact, it is almost impossible to see what went so wrong with this film, considering that just three years earlier Scott nearly scooped an Oscar for best director on that other sword and sandal epic of his. I genuinely though that he would pull off another classic, I really did – foolish of me to be so confident perhaps, but this is Ridley Scott we’re talking about, a man whose career achievements almost reads as long as the Bible itself. So what did go wrong then? Let’s take a look.

FilmIt is the dark ages, the time of the Crusades no less; a world steeped in ancient mythology, with empires rising and falling, and a world where the next hero could be the blacksmith right next door. As it would happen, this is exactly the case. Orlando Bloom plays Balian, a simple blacksmith who has lost almost everything, including his family and his faith. Though the religious wars that rage ever on in his world seem almost an age away, Balian gets drawn into them though unforeseen circumstances. He later falls in love, learns the ways of this dark time, and eventually takes up the sword to defend a city against insurmountable odds. From blacksmith to revolutionary leader, sound familiar? I remember a certain Maximus defying an empire when he was merely a slave in a film not completely different from this one. True, many themes and ties from Gladiator make a timely reprise here, though this film is awash with a muddy vision and an almost dreary political narrative, unlike its Roman counterpart. While Gladiator might have been flooded with politics, it certainly wasn’t as flamboyant and under-baked as this.

I don’t really have a problem with how Balian comes to be the man we see toward the end of the film – that is actually quite well set up with the introduction of his father, Godfrey of Ibelin, a powerful knight who has been fighting in the East. It is more to do with the execution of this historical tale, more than anything else. I had more or less the same problems with Oliver Stone’s atrocious Alexander too. Everything is almost fragile and haphazard, and in a way that suggests much of the reality and true-to-life stuff has been axed away – no doubt in favour of the predictable Hollywood mush we are instead treated to. If this is meant to be raw and real, while still abiding by certain rules and terms, then what Scott needed to do was pay more attention to some of the other historical epics out there. His very own Gladiator being a prime example, though I feel Lawrence of Arabia and Ben Hur would have been a better study.

Kingdom of Heaven has a very “been there, done that” feel to it. Ever since Peter Jackson showed us thousands of Orcs and charging Helm’s Deep in his epic Lord of the Rings trilogy, it seems Hollywood has gone crazy to produce films with lots of digital armies in them. And Kingdom of Heaven, not unlike Troy, Alexander, The Alamo and a handful of others like it, fails to come even close to the epic majesty Peter Jackson created. When will the producers realize audiences want substance and emotional integrity to those battles? What we want is a good story, and characters we care for when they are trying to look heroic in the midst of a trillion warriors, not a film that almost solely depends on its wow-factor battles to win us over. This and many other things unfortunately prevent Kingdom of Heaven from being great. With so much attention on weary characters and pretty digital technology, sadly not even the ordinarily amazing Ridley Scott can hold the project together. Orlando Bloom might have given it his all as the lead, and some of the other acting may be noteworthy, but the film is lacking all the main ingredients – all the important ones anyway.

On the positive side however, Kingdom of Heaven is beautifully shot, and for what it’s worth the action segments are relatively well staged and occasionally arouse the senses – just not nearly enough. And, while Scott may have turned in one of his most unaccomplished performances, his camera still has a professional and almost sophisticated subtlety. He might have lost some steam on this film, but he is still Ridley Scott after all. William Monahan’s script is also quite commendable on some levels, but on others it is stifled with uncertainly and feels a little clunky. Composer Harry Gregson-Williams delivers a truly exceptional and rousing score here, and one that is fully able to capture the essence of the time in ways the film itself fails to do. I’d very much like to see this score nominated for an Oscar. This film could have really been something, and the sad part of it is that it has the look and the presentation, just not the integrity and all the other important features needed to become more than just an average affair. Ultimately, that is what Kingdom of Heaven is, an average and totally uninventive ancient war epic. And, it is with a heavy heart that I have to tell you the only place this film is going, is to the wasteland of Hell’s deepest depths.

VideoPresented in the usual 2.35:1 frame Ridley Scott uses in most, if not all of his features, images here look pretty good, though not spectacular. I found the transfer to be quite dark, even during scenes set in broad daylight. Noise on the transfer was also pretty noticeable, but things such as edge enhancement and artefacts were kept to a minimum. On the whole, everything is quite sharp and well defined, but as mentioned above, this is a dark looking image, and this is one of its more obvious flaws in my opinion. Sometimes it is difficult to make out the characters in certain scenes, but fortunately this only occurs a few of times. Other than that, this is one fine looking transfer, with plenty of colour definition and an almost gritty, ancient look to it that’s fantastic.

AudioWith a robust Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 soundtrack to choose from, you can expect to be in for a pretty intense experience once those action scenes heat up. Both the Dolby and DTS options are great, with each offering superbly rich dialogue, LFE and direction audio throughout the entire range. When the action comes crashing onto the screen, you’re really going to feel it though the sub, and I mean feel it! Bass is heavy on this film, perhaps even a little too heavy at times. And once those arrows launch upward into the sky, you will hear them soaring through each speaker as if they were really there. As usual with DTS, the sound tended to be a little richer and a tad crisper than the Dolby soundtrack, though to be honest either will be an excellent choice.

ExtrasOn the first disc we have an in-movie text feature that will display “Information on the real people and true events depicted in the film” or so the guide informs us. I doubt the authenticity of that statement in full, but from what I can gather at least part of the history appears to be genuine. The last feature on disc one is a Fox inside look at the forthcoming Tristan & Isolade. It runs for about two minutes.

On the second disc, the first feature is entitled ‘Interactive Production Grid’. This opens up a new screen with two selections: ‘How it Works’ and ‘Enter the Grid’. If you enter the first, you are given a brief description of how the feature works, which is quite simple really: you control how the behind-the-screen experience unfolds. You can watch each section from the Directing, Crew or Cast point-of-view, from the Pre, Prod or Post part of the filmmaking process. The grid itself is very easy to navigate and you can easily select new sections with a few quick button presses. If you’d rather just watch all the features in the Interactive Production Grid, simply use the handy ‘Play All’ function.

Back to the main menu and into the documentaries section, we are presented with two options: ‘History vs. Hollywood’ and ‘A&E Movie Real’. The former is a forty-five minute documentary covering all aspects of the historical findings and such. The latter is similar, only this one interviews much of the cast and crew of the film instead, and shows how they tried to make it as historically accurate as possible. Finally, there is a series of short internet featurettes and the full theatrical trailer.

OverallKingdom of Heaven is one of those films that will forever have a bittersweet aroma. It could truly have been one of the great sword and sandal epics, but its stumbles are anything but few and far between. It is a muddy film, unsure of itself and its abilities. Dealing with the subject matter, it almost seems to have been a little too occupied trying not to offend Christians or Muslims, than focusing on historical accuracy and telling a good, dramatic tale. Shame really, I was hopeful in Ridley Scott to do something marvellous again, but sadly he missed the mark with this one. The DVD is pretty solid though, offering a good, if not great transfer; heavy, robust audio, and plenty of special features. You won’t get bored with the DVD, but you probably will with the film.

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Quote: Originally posted by kenny wong I think it's unfair to see this movie and compare it with it's previous predecessors...

I agree with that.. Gladiator is a once in a lifetime masterpiece for Ridley Scott (he said so himself). If you see this movie, actually believing that he could do better than gladiator,... than you're in for a unpleasant surprise... anyway you can't compare movies anyway unless they actually are sequels or follow the same storyline...

Kingdom of heaven Is a good movie, that reflects the period very nicely. Ridley succeeded in creating the world the way i belive it could have been.

it is defenitely not a political or religious movie, it's not pro or contra anything and everybody who thinks otherwise... unfortunately just didn't get it.

the movie is a bit slow at some points though because you expect more action... but that is not what the story is about. the war is just the setting of the story. You either love it or hate it, I guess.

Quote: Originally posted by Ben Dover yeah... like theyre gonna allow a 14 yo. mast*rbator to do reviews here!Ahh the intelligence it must have taken to create this comment - then again look at the user name.....

I spose for a start if the reviewer wishes to review a film then they should be at least old enough to legally watch the film, it doesn't really matter if they look old enough..... I personally think that a classification is really a guide for a parent but we all vote and the law is the law....

When a movie is made in reference to the money pulled in by "previous predecessors", I think it's quite fair to compare. Scott is a fine director, one of my favorites, but never has he been above making a film simply for the money. Christ, the guy still does car ads.

That said, I still haven't had a chance to see KOH, so I'll reserve my judgement.

I think it's unfair to see this movie and compare it with it's previous predecessors. We all know how great the other 'epic' films are, so why not leave it at that. And I know it's also Ridley Scott so he has a lot to live up to in his reputation. When I saw this I didn't expect Gladiator, Ben Hur, Lawrence of Arabia, or Lord of the Rings, etc. You can't top those films. I just went in and gave it a shot and, sure there were some parts that seemed like they could have been fleshed out more. But, in my opinion, I think it's a far more better job than say, Troy or Alexander (actually, it took me multiple viewings of Alexander to finally appreciate it for what is is). But Kingdom of Heaven for me was better than a lot of the crap that was released at the time. That's just me.

I hate to say it, but this is like most reviews I've read. I think the big problem with Kingdom was that there were just so many people expecting it to be Gladiator 2 that it ended up being viewed as such a disappointment. Personally, I loved the film. But it's not the kind of movie that will be remembered all that well twenty years from now. On the other hand, there are some other films directed by Ridley Scott that will. I just hope that he can win a directing Oscar before long, because he's something of a legendary director.

I hate the law over here becasue all the good moveis are rated 18 or 15 and sometimes people won't serve me but i look 16 and it's just annoying but a lot of the time they do but it's just annoying and i'll to do reviews

Quote: Originally posted by Ian Schultz Ben Willcock,i'm sorry, I just though the film was a pretty good epic than like the crappy Troy. i loved the Ed Norton scenes. I just liked the film and I think it was unfairly bashed by critics like Alexander

We're all entitled to our own opinions at the end of the day, I just thought KoH was lacking in too many important areas.

Ben Willcock,i'm sorry, I just though the film was a pretty good epic than like the crappy Troy. i loved the Ed Norton scenes. I just liked the film and I think it was unfairly bashed by critics like Alexander

Quote: Originally posted by Ian Schultz it's very good, the reviewer is an idiot. i'll give it 8/10

You dont even know how to write a url link, and youre saying hes an idiot? I could attack and insult you for liking it, since my opinion is that its only the latest "Inaccurate Politically-Correct Docudrama" and youre just another "Mindless Action Drone" but, I digress....

Like I said in another thread recently---what is up here lately with people attacking others, just because they dont share their view on something? People who insult others just because they have a different opinion, are the real idiots.

Quote: Originally posted by Ben Willcock Quite right, the score is actually very good and I really should have made mention of it. I actually meant to, but sadly it was forgotten in the midst of all the critique. If I have time before I go on holiday, I will slip in a line or two regarding that. Thanks for bringing that up see now i wish i hadn't edited it too soon

Quite right, the score is actually very good and I really should have made mention of it. I actually meant to, but sadly it was forgotten in the midst of all the critique. If I have time before I go on holiday, I will slip in a line or two regarding that. Thanks for bringing that up

This was an alright film, but it was so politically correct it was disgusting. Im getting tired of movies where the studios are so afraid to offend anyone else, yet feel its okay to demonize the western world, while making the other side seem like theyre always the victim. Christians vs. Muslims fighting over Jewish territory, and yet only one side is at fault?

Instead of showing what really happened---Saladin slaying the Templars after promising he would not---in this film they show him picking up the Cross at the end....give me a break. At least the History Channel had enough guts to point that out when discussing this film, unlike the producers of this movie. Just another P.C. film distorting history.

Btw, thank you for pointing out the dark video transfer in the tech section of your review Ben, stuff like that is always appreciated!!